1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plastic foam packaging. More specifically, it relates to the generally bin-shaped containers in which small fruits and vegetables, such as berries, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms, are presented for retail sale at supermarkets and other retail food outlets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Packaging containers of the subject type are well-known in the art. Traditionally, such containers were molded from wood pulp or recycled paper. More recently, they have been integrally molded from sheets of extruded plastic foam material, such as extruded polystyrene, in a wide variety of sizes. Packaging containers of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,756 to Meier et al. and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 296,192 to Ramirez, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The sizes of the individual containers are, of course, chosen to meet consumer preferences for the amount, be it measured by weight or volume, of the product to be sold therein. The sizes, or, more accurately, the dimensions, of the container must also satisfy the requirements of the machinery used to fill and wrap them individually, of the so-called master containers in which a plurality of individual containers are packed for shipment to retail outlets, and of the retail outlets themselves, where the individual containers must be conveniently disposable on designated shelf space.
The present invention was motivated by changes made recently in the mushroom industry, but this should not be construed to limit the present invention to use in that industry alone. There, however, the individual containers, commonly referred to as mushroom tills, have customarily been sized so that a given number of them would fit into a master container used in the industry. Specifically, the inside dimensions, by length and width, of the master container used until recently were such that it could hold twelve 8-oz. tills in a 3×4 array; ten 12-oz. tills in a 2×5 array; eight 16-oz. tills in a 2×4 array; four 24-oz. tills in a 2×2 array; or four 40-oz. tills in a 2×2 array, the 24-oz. tills having the same length and width as the 40-oz. tills, but a smaller depth. The sizes, expressed in ounces, of the tills refer to the amount of mushrooms, by weight, they are designed to hold.
Recently, the inside dimensions of the master container used by at least one mushroom grower were reduced, making it impossible to pack the tills in the arrays described above without changing their dimensions as well.
It will be immediately apparent to the reader that, in order to fit the tills into the smaller master container in the arrays set forth above, the area, or “footprint”, occupied by each individual till had to be reduced. However, in order for the tills to continue to hold the same amount, in ounces, of mushrooms, each would necessarily have to be made deeper than those previously used.
Accordingly, the packaging containers, or mushroom tills, of the present invention have sidewalls which are higher and steeper than those of the packaging containers of the prior art. Moreover, because they are higher and steeper, the sidewalls have features designed to strengthen them and to enhance the structural integrity of the containers as a whole.